Here’s everything you need to know about book shopping in the UK’s historic university city, Oxford.

One of the UK’s historic university cities, Oxford is a cultural hub with a plethora of museums, libraries and bookshops.

While many of the libraries are only open to University of Oxford students (with a few exceptions), there are many fantastic bookshops that the general public can visit.

I visited the brand new branch of BookBar, located in the Chelsea borough of London.

First launched in north London in 2021, BookBar is a fabulous bookshop, wine bar, coffee shop and social space that recently opened its second branch in Chelsea.

As I live outside of London, this was great news for me as their new branch is much easier for me to get to during a trip into the city!

Located in the heart of London’s Mayfair, Heywood Hill is a prestigious literary establishment that first opened in 1936. Named after the founder, Heywood Hill, the shop is spread across two floors of a Georgian townhouse, with the ground floor open to the public for browsing.

I first came across the bookshop while writing an article for Sail Away Magazine about cruise ship libraries.

With over eight miles of shelves, six floors, two cafes and a bar, Waterstones Piccadilly is officially Europe’s largest bookshop.

More than just a bookshop, Waterstones Piccadilly stocks more than 150,000 books, runs events with world famous authors and even hosts its own annual book festival.

I used to visit regularly while living in London in my early twenties - affectionately referring to it as ‘the mothership’ amongst my friends.

I explore Portugal’s historic bookshop, Livraria Lello, which is frequently named the world’s most beautiful bookstore.

Established in 1906, the Livraria Lello is a bookshop and publisher known for its stunning neo-gothic interiors.

The shop takes its name from founder Jose Pinto De Sousa Lello, who opened his first bookshop in 1881. The Livraria Lello came along 25 years later, opened in collaboration with Jose’s brother.

One of London’s most recognisable bookshops, Daunt Books has occupied its iconic premises in Marylebone since it was first opened by Richard Daunt in 1990.

The shop now forms part of one of the largest independent bookshop chains in the UK, with ten branches located across London and the south of England.

Here’s my review of London’s historic branch of Waterstones on Gower Street in Bloomsbury.

Known to be the second largest bookshop in Europe that sells both new and used books, Waterstones Gower Street is based in a beautiful grade two listed building in Bloomsbury.

Here you’ll find five miles of books to browse, spanning across five floors - four of which are non-fiction. There’s thought to be around 200,000 titles available in the shop as well as records, board games and art supplies.

I visited Elephant and Castle’s brand new bookshop, The Book Elephant.

Opening for a soft launch in January 2025, The Book Elephant is located in Elephant and Castle, making it the first bookshop in the area since The Kennington Bookshop closed in 2015.

Here’s everything you need to know about London’s oldest bookshop.

Founded in 1797, Hatchards claims to be the oldest bookshop in the whole of the UK, and is held in high regard as the bookseller to several generations of the royal family.

Their flagship shop is based in Piccadilly Circus, in the same premises that it’s occupied since 1801. The shop has a gorgeous dark green facade, with dark wood interiors and five floors filled with books.